Nexus
by Steahl
Summary: Jenovah still has plans for Sephiroth...revenge on those who sealed her on one planet so long ago...wether he cooperates or no. Chapter seven is up...the dark rises...Please read and review.
1. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I do not own Sephiroth or Jenovah; they are copyrighted by Square Soft entertainment. Everyone else in the story is mine though.

**Aftermath**

****

          He floated in a web of energy…glowing strands wrapped around him and tugged gently…he could feel himself coming apart…he welcomed it. What was left of him smiled in joy as the glow grew brighter…then darkness descended. It was terror, and fear, and pain…a voice he recognized and hated whispered around him, severing the bright web. 

          "Not yet. Not now. I have one more task for you, though you have failed this one. I may be gone now, but you are me, you are my instrument, my vengeance, and I am not done with you yet."

          He writhed in the darkness, seeking the bright glow of the web, but all he could see was darkness. It surrounded him, enveloped him, he opened his mouth to scream and it poured inside. There was an echoing silence as his scream was cut off abruptly, and the voice sounded in his head now.

          "Now, _we will have revenge on the one who sealed me here, the one who locked me on this world. You will live to do this."_

          There was a titanic wrench, as if reality itself was warping for a moment…then there was nothing but darkness.

*   *   *   *   *   

          He awoke in pain; a stabbing agony from his lower back to his throat. Fire traced its way along every vein in his body as he slowly breathed in. He couldn't see, there seemed to be something around his head…despite himself he moaned softly as the pain spread to encompass his whole body. The sound seemed to trigger movement around him; he could feel the air ripple as if someone were walking towards him.

          "Ah, you are awake" A gentle hand was laid on his forehead "and wishing you weren't I assume."

          He licked his lips and grimaced, the voice was right. Even the oblivion of death would be preferable to the agony in his traitorous body. He raised his hand from where it laid next to him and tried to brush the restraints from his eyes. He felt the hand on his forehead move to intercept his hand, giving his a gentle squeeze.

          "No."

          He made a small noise of protest in his throat, furious.

          "I see you do not understand. You came here sorely injured. You are lucky, those who find their way here cannot die…therefore you are healing. You have bandages on nearly every part of your body. As for your eyes…you will see again, I am skilled enough to return them to you, but only if you keep the bandages on." The gentle hand placed his back on the bed and his caretaker stood "I shall return in a moment."

          He was left alone, confused. _How did I get injured? Where am I? Why can I not remember? The air itself smelled different, pure, and clean. He could hear wind as it rushed through trees outside.  He could not remember How he had come to be here…__ His thoughts were disturbed by the return of his caretaker, a cup was held to his lips._

          "Drink"

          He swallowed, obediently, like a child. The cool liquid tasted of fresh herbs, and as he swallowed, coolness arose to combat the fire in his veins. He could feel healing energy pouring into his body. Now painless, he slept.

*   *   *   *   *

          Kiv looked down at the now sleeping man, smiling gently; she gathered her healing materials and sat by the bed. Slowly, carefully, she cleaned and re-bandaged the horrendous wounds. _It is obvious he has been in a war. The damage to his body could only have been done with a sword; it is pure luck that he did not die immediately. Then the gun wounds on his face…eyes…someone really tried to kill him. I wonder why? He does not seem dangerous, no more than I am dangerous…Finished she gathered her things and left the room. _

          Every since she had carried his broken, bleeding body to her little home, here in the center of the Nexus, these questions had nagged her. Who could cause such damage to such a beautiful body? He was a warrior, of that she was sure. The underlying muscles of his body and not to mention the six foot sword attested to that. _Perhaps he was defending someone or someplace from evil. Yet…and yet…there was the elusive scent of something, someone, else about him. __He has things hidden in his mind…where I dare not go for fear of harming him… She relaxed and sipped her tea._

          In the kitchen she looked out over Nexus with a small smile, which turned into a frown. _How did he get here? The path he arrived on has been closed since me great-great grandmothers day. He is quite a bundle of mysteries. Perhaps I will learn more when he is well enough to speak. Shrugging to herself, she walked back into the room that her guest occupied and laid herself down on the small pallet she had set on the floor. __It is a good sign he awoke…even if it was in the wee hours of the morning; I was beginning to wonder if perhaps his mind had been damaged…She drifted, peacefully into sleep._

*   *   *   *   *

          He slept, and as he slept he dreamed. The darkness was still there, but hiding. He couldn't ferret it out. Then his dream changed, he was standing in a burning village. He tried to help, but he couldn't move…

*   *   *   *   *

End of chapter one. Bwahahahahahaha. I'll continue if I get good reviews.


	2. Revelation

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7. Any references to the game belong to Square Soft. The Nexus on the other hand is mine.

**Revelation**

          He stood in the middle of a town square, fire raging all around. People he did not know ran screaming all around him. His body was rooted to the spot, for reasons he could not fathom, he was a spectator. The body of a young woman fell in front of him, bleeding and moving feebly. Her blonde hair was stained black with soot and red with blood. Her hands scrabbled at the dirt and she looked up, pleadingly, to him. He could do nothing.

          A dark figure walked towards him and the girl…wading confidently through the flame. The heat haze obscured his vision…but the figure looked sinister, carrying a long sword that reflected the fire in red tints. It moved slowly, deliberately towards him…dread welled up inside of him as the figure came closer.  One more step and the figure was clear. It was a man, long white hair, untouched by the inferno, fell to the man's knees. Blazing green eyes peered at him as the fire drew glints from deep within their depths. The man was dressed head to toe in black, a swirling black coat donned his shoulders; black straps crossed his chest, and black boots that seemed to blend into the black pants.  The man was magnificent.  

          The man stopped and grinned at him, holding the six foot sword negligently in his hands. He glanced down at the woman who was looking up with hope in her eyes. A mere flick of his wrist and the blade was buried in her back. Blood rushed from her mouth in a gushing froth, covering his knees. He reeled in shock at what the man had done. The man smiled and stepped back from the body of the girl, leaving the sword pinning the body. The man gestured to the sword and spoke "Take it". He couldn't help it, he screamed.

*   *   *   *   *

          Kiv awoke as her patient screamed. He was writhing on the bed, several of his wounds had reopened and blood dripped from his lips. She pushed his shoulders down, pinning him to the bed. With surprising strength he fought her, lashing out in every direction. _A dream…it must be a dream…he caught the side of her face with his fist, wrenching himself free from her hold. She tasted blood and felt the sting of her cut cheek. __Not a dream…a nightmare! Too much more of this and he will destroy what healing I've been able to accomplish…_

*   *   *   *   *

          The man seemed amused by his screaming. "You are weak…full of fear, what a pity. Perhaps I was wrong, you are not worthy"

          He felt a rush of anger _torturing innocents and he says I'm not worthy? _

          The man smiled and walked closer to him…as if hearing his thoughts. "These are not innocents, as well you know that" The man knelt and lightly placed his fingers on the girls wound. His hand came back bloody. "They are cretins, filth, crawling on this planet and devouring it from the inside out. The blood they will pay for their sins will revitalize the planet as it will revitalize you." The man reached towards him with the bloody fingers and he couldn't move. Bloody fingers trailed along his lips, leaving a crimson smear. The man leaned closer still, grinning. "You will partake of this, and you will heal. You have no choice." In a swift movement more akin to a snake than a man, the man leaned forward and pressed their lips together, kissing him. The kiss forced his lips open, and the blood poured in. 

          He was choking on the warm, salty blood as it poured and poured… such a large amount. The blood made his head swim, even as the intimate embrace of the silver haired man held him upright.

*   *   *   *   *

          Kiv fought still, she had the man's wrapped tight in sheets, so he no longer fought her. She could sense a great deal of energy swelling around him…and that worried her. In the nexus, energy was always more potent _he could burn out his mind…She only had one choice…to use the energies he was gathering and hope his weakened body could handle them…_

*   *   *   *   *

          The man held him, cradled in his lap like a child and stroking his hair like a lover. And as he held him he whispered "Any moment now…any moment….we will force her hand. And we shall be whole again." He felt energies coalesce around him and the man, gentle…full of restrained power. The energy sought out his body, he felt it burn through the shock and pain. It was like no healing he had felt before, it was wild and barely controlled…and more intoxicating than blood. The man holding him smiled "Yessss…"

          The power became dazzling bright, he shied away from it. His mind fled form the brilliance that was invading his body. He found his way blocked. He was snared, and the healing overcame his mind in a wild crash. Then it receded, and he was still there, held gently in a net of energy. A new voice echoed faintly, as if exhausted, in his mind "…well done…healed…awaken…"

*   *   *   *   *

          Kiv leaned back from the bed, exhausted from channeling so much energy. The glow in the room dissipated and pain wracked her body, making her double over as the last of the energies burned along her synapses. _Damn the consequences of wild energy…she gasped in her mind. __And again I learn the lesson of letting people heal slowly…_

*   *   *   *   *

          He awoke once more, constrained, held, but in a place he remembered. He could smell the clean air and the feel the now familiar bed he laid on. Better yet, he could feel strength in his body, wholeness. He felt the air around him shudder and a slight intake of breath floated in the silence. He took a deep breath, pleased that he could, and called out "Hello?"

          The air shivered once more and he heard someone pulling themselves to their feet, then the voice he remembered answered him. "Awake once *gasp* more I see?"

          "Yes…I feel different. Am I better now?"

          There was a moment of labored breathing then "Yes, physically to some extent. I can remove the bandages now if you wish."

          "Yes please"

          Kiv stopped clutching her sides and gently sat at the edge of the bed, fighting the pain of energy burn. With a careful claw she cut away the bandages on his eyes. His eyes were closed, so she couldn't see if the healing had also restored those "Open yours eyes please" He opened his eyes, two brilliant emerald orbs stared at her and she sighed in relief.

*   *   *   *   *

          He blinked, readjusting himself to sight, and more particularly to the sight in front of him. A young woman sat on the bed near him, long blonde/white hair trailing to her feet. Her eyes were gold ringed in silver and slit like the eyes of a cat. Her face was delicate and yet brought to mind the Great Plains cats he had seen, minus the fur and made human. But there was a slight mar, the left side of her cheek seemed to be bruised and painful, some blood trickled from her mouth. Despite that, she was smiling at him, and he could see two small, sharp fangs. "Are you real?"

          She laughed, a low, purring sound, then she winced "As real as I can be" She extnded a claw from her delicate finger and continued to remove his bandages. He let her, and looked around the room he was in. There was a pallet set up right next the bed he was sitting on _she must have slept near me to keep an eye on me. I wonder who hurt her? "Lady…"_

          "I am called Kiv by most"

          "Lady Kiv, if I may be so bold…who hurt you? You are bleeding…"

          She seemed to withdraw and absently reach a hand to her face, catching the blood from her mouth. "This is nothing" She went back to unbandaging him. 

          He continued to look around the room. A simple chest, a stand with clothes on it, a mirror... He inspected the clothes stand. It held a black coat, black boots, and black pants, all in the process of being mended. Something stirred in the back of his mind…he looked in the mirror…silver hair and emerald eyes stared back at him.

*   *   *   *   *

End of chapter two!!!! This may have been a little slow, if it was I apologize.


	3. Restraint

Disclaimer: I do not own FF7…any reference or characters used in said game belong to Square Soft. I do own Kiv and the Nexus though.

                                                **Restraint**

          …_green eyes…_

_          …Silver hair…_

_          …Delicate, nay, beautiful features…_

_          …gods I am a monster…_

_          He stared at himself and started to shake "No…It was a nightmare wasn't it? A nightmare please?"_

          "It was your mind stranger, your dream. As to whether it is a truth or a falsehood I cannot say."

          "How did I come here? What happened to me?"

          "That I do not know…you appeared on a world path that has been closed for close to five hundred years. You were broken, bleeding…you have the scars to prove it, I do not lie. You are lucky I was walking in that area or you may have healed like that, a twisted mass of flesh and bone…you remember nothing?"

          "No, nothing. Why is that? What did I do?"

          Kiv looked at the man and blinked "I do not know your past, stranger. I do not know your future. I do know that you were in a great fight, that your mind was as splintered as your body. That is something only time can fix. You are welcome to stay until you feel ready to leave here. This room here shall be yours. When you are ready to eat, simply call and I will bring you food."

          He watched the strange young woman named Kiv gather up her bedroll, fish some clothing out of her dresser, and leave. "I never meant for you to give up your room…" He said to the closed door. The minute the door closed and Kiv's comforting presence was gone, he felt the tendrils in his mind unfurl.

          "_How kind of her to offer us a place to stay, we must take her up on it…"_

          "**Yes, she is not the one who locked me away…but she may be useful for …recreation…"**

          "No…"

          "_Oh yes…she is quite…exquisite. I wonder what species she is? She may be worthy to bear our children…if she proves biddable."_

_          "**And if not…she still has the keys to the power I can feel here…We shall have to cultivate her."**_

**          "I will not!"**

          "_You need do nothing. You are outvoted, and we are the stronger, mother and I. Now call for food, it is time to start learning of this place."_

_          "No, I will bring no harm to her."_

          "_Mere questions will not harm her…while trying my patience will! You WILL charm her. You WILL woo her to our side. Or we will kill her. There are no other choices."_

          "**For now you will not remember this…" A place in his mind went dark. He was hungry. "Kiv? May I eat now?"**

*   *   *   *   *

          Kiv closed the door behind herself as she left. The stranger needed more than time to heal his mind, she felt great darkness swelling in that beautiful head of his…_but my skill in healing is not great enough to guarantee his safety if I enter his mind, Oh mother of my spirit, if only you were here…a warrior such as me cannot heal like you could…Her keen ears twitched as she heard voices in the room she had left; three voices. __That is impossible, I would know if another were in the Nexus…She shrugged and walked to the kitchen._

          When he called she had a hearty soup that would help him regain the strength he had lost in recuperating. She walked softly, back into the room that had once been hers and smiled.

*   *   *   *   *

          He watched Kiv as she sat gracefully next to the clothes stand with a thread and needle, mending the clothes that were his. He was happy just watching her, her voice startled him when she spoke "Do you have a name strange one?"

          "I…" _Sephiroth! We are Sephiroth! "No, I don't remember"_

          "Ah, then it is up to me to name you then, for a soul without a name gets lost easily. I shall call you Hio'la, it means "Broken One" on the world I came from."

          "World you came from? This is not your world?"

          "No this is the Nexus, it is a part, and yet apart from every world. I found my way here much the same way you did. I followed my swords."

          "And on your world, what does Kiv stand for?"

          "Nothing. It is not a name."

          "If it is not a name then why are you called Kiv?"

          She sat back on her heels and her alien eyes stared at him. "Do you truly wish to know?"

          For a moment, he wished to leave it at that, but some corner of his mind prodded him and out of his mouth poured "Yes, I do"

          She nodded and pulled her sleeve off her left shoulder. "On my world, a name is needed to keep one's soul from getting lost, which does not apply if you have no soul." She kneeled with her back to him, her left shoulder bare "The created have no souls."

          On her shoulder, ugly black letters and lines were tattooed. **Ketral ****In****Vitro experiment 19. Feline enhancement Alpha B "I was created to fight and amuse, to be an attractive, mass produced bodyguard. When I refused the man who…owned…me, I was sent to the arenas. There I lost myself for a long time in blood and fighting, nothing existed but my swords and my enemy. When I finally freed myself, I brought down those who created me and my sisters. I went in expecting to die. I remember falling asleep amid the fumes and flames, surrounded by the bodies of my sisters and fathers…and awaking here, with a woman I henceforth called mother leaning over me. She called me Kiv, and since then, that is what people call me." She twitched her sleeve back on and silently went back to her mending.**

          He was left to reel in shock at what she had revealed…_it all sounds so familiar…"I am sorry you were so treated…"_

          "It matters not. I came here, I learned peace, and I healed, as you will. When my mother passed, I took up her work, though I fear I am not as good a healer as she. I am still too much the fighter I'm afraid" A smile pulled at the corners of her lips for a moment "I suppose that is well. The Nexus needs a protector." And with that cryptic comment she stood up and left, her mending finished.

*   *   *   *   *

          "_Interesting, interesting indeed mother. This shows great potential…"_

_          "**Yes, it does"**_


	4. A Beginning

Disclaimer: I     Do      Not     OWN     Any     Rights     To     FF7! Is that succinct enough?

**A Beginning**

          He looked around the small kitchen and blinked his eyes at the scintillating silver light that could be seen through the windows. This was his first trip outside of his…_no, it belongs to Lady Kiv, I'm just borrowing it…room. The trip had been hard, his body was whole but his strength was not on par. The simple task of standing erect was a chore, much less walking. But here he was, proud and tall, in a small kitchen…ten steps from the room._

          The light confused him…it was too steady to be the light of twilight, to bright to be night, to dim to be day…but still something interesting to concentrate on as his weakness and labored breathing passed. He set his  sights on reaching the room beyond, another agonizing fifteen steps…Only force of will made him complete those steps. 

          Here the light was the same, there seemed to be no artificial lights in the whole house. It showed him a small table, bare for the moment, and racks upon racks of drying herbs. On the back wall was a shelf dedicated completely to vials and potions of every color…a small fireplace sat cold and unused to his left, and to his right, the door to outside. Cool air blew from the door; tantalizing scents were crisp on the breeze. And yet, there was not a single sound besides the wind.

          The door drew him, promised freedom, safety…not for himself, but for the gracious Lady Kiv, who didn't know what she blithely harbored. _I could leave now, take my sword and disappear, spare her what ever I may do…I know I was not a kind man…I could lose myself out there…Then the voices, those hated voices intruded._

          "_Thinking of leaving? And so soon? One would think you didn't like this place, and the people here…"_

_          **"No, indeed.**** We will stay; there is much to be learned here."**_

**          "_Perhaps he needs a break mother? He is, after all, recuperating…"_**

          "**Perhaps"**

**          The cold voices terrified him. He glanced desperately at the door, yearning for a miracle…hoping they would not turn their cruelty upon…**

          "_And where is that delightful girl? Kiv?"_

          He felt despair creeping in, horror rising in his mind. He offered a weak protest…a mental whimper…

          "_Ah, so you don't like where my thoughts turn? I think we shall seek her out" the voice said with a malicious edge "__Mother and I wish to…speak with her…"_

          "**Yesssss****….we must seek her help….but first; I think her thinking must be…modified?"**

**          "_Yes, perhaps we could prod her a bit, make her more open to our…influence"_**

          "No. You will leave her be. So I say, and you live in me. I rule here…"

          "_Is that so?" A rushing darkness descended upon his mind, a torrent as irresistible as a spring flood. He was washed away, helplessly, and locked in a small corner. The voices chuckled around him._

          Sephiroth flexed his shoulders and smiled a small, predatory grin. It was so good to be back. _Now to find Kiv…_

*   *   *   *   *

          He searched the three rooms diligently, shifting bedding, cooking ware and herbs…and still there was no Kiv. The open door beckoned. Squaring his shoulders, he stepped outside…and was shocked. The sky was one solid, waving aurora of silver and black…the light danced hypnotically…and beyond that, there was nothing. No stars, no sun, nothing.  It was slightly unnerving. 

          He dragged his eyes from the void beyond the light and resolutely drew his gaze to the ground. There was time enough for such puzzles later. He was standing on a simple wooden porch. There was no railing, and only a slight scrap of roof. And there, at the very end of the rough planks, curled up in a blanket, and sleeping peacefully, was Kiv.

          Her hair was pooled alluringly around her sleeping body, the breeze playing gently with the strands…and for a moment, just a moment, Sephiroth stared. In the dark recesses of his mind he felt both his mother and the weakling Hio'La stir. He sat by her body and watched her breathe…

          "_Mother…she is indeed exquisite."_

_          "**Yes. She is. But we must begin…"**_

          Shrugging to himself, he placed a single finger on Kiv's forehead. Then he whispered "Blood, pain, truth. Dream of what you deny is in you. Dream of what you will be…"

*     *     *     *     *

          Kiv stirred in her sleep…

          She was in her home, her glass tube if existence. Her eyes scanned the room and saw her other sisters, safe in their tanks. All was well with the world. Today she had learned much, the programming that filtered through the wires in the tank had taught her of death, of killing, and of protecting. This is what she was to be…a necessary tool of the company. She stretched slightly and was shocked when her shoulders brushed the edges of her tank.

This did not bode well, she had seen others of her sisters grow, and eventually outgrow their homes. They were taken out into the air…escorted away. She had never seen them again…their empty tanks were prepped again, and new sisters were created. She felt odd, an emotion she didn't recognize boiled up within her…her lessons identified it as fear…an emotion of weakness. She curled up tightly, attempting to reduce her size, to stay longer, but her lab technician saw her. He glanced both ways looking for other lab techs, then came to her tank to do what he never did to any of her sisters...he spoke to her, only to her. "Hello nineteen…I see you are growing…don't be afraid, it is natural, but it does mean our time with each other is growing short…there is much you still need to learn. You will be different, I promise." He touched the buttons that controlled her existence, and new knowledge began to flood her…there was blood, weapons, hatred…and in one small packet, honor. His gift to her…

*     *     *     *     *

 She curled tighter in her blankets, the dream continued.

A shiver ran down her spine…and salty water dripped from her like a mild rain shower. The man who had breached her tank and ordered her out wrote something on his clipboard and gestured to her. Meekly she followed. A voice sighed through her mind "_See what they were? Evil men using their purloined knowledge to create toys…" He led her to a practice arena where another woman stood. Her silver hair was cut close to her head, and she was older, but she still looked like every girl in the tank. The woman began to teach her. "__And such economic cruelty, rather impersonal wasn't it? The self teaching the self…while all the greed of the world looked on…" To her intense delight, she knew the lessons cold, front to back, it was easy. She began to think…a way to prove herself…she was, after all created to be a weapon….  _

          She licked the blood from her claws, the body of her teacher laid at her feet…then she heard clapping, and of all things, bidding. Her young self looked around and spotted the windows where several men stood, all with heavy, panting expressions and disturbing arrogance…the voice continued "_How completely…evil…they are bidding on your body. That is slavery…even if you were created…" Anger began to boil in her breast; bestiality began to color her vision. She sprang, and the glass shattered. The men were like cattle to the slaughter. Their blood was sweet, their terror sweeter. All her lessons were well used, except one that was subsumed in the rush of blood and terror…She happily licked blood from her claws and found herself purring…The voice, her comrade in arms, was pleased "__Oh yes, you'll do nicely" She smiled._

*     *     *     *     *

          She began to settle once more into peaceful slumber, her body relaxed…then she felt a brush of fingers across her forehead…her body reacted, struck out…and once more settled into sleep.

          Sephiroth leaned back from Kiv, a pained expression on his face _she struck me! He gingerly touched the four deep furrows that her claws had torn in his chest…they bled sluggishly. He glanced at Kiv with a great deal more respect, and then he leaned back on his heels, happy with the effect of his dream. "__She will do quite nicely mother, it shouldn't be hard at all to manipulate this little beast."_

          "**Oh yes, this was a good beginning"**

          "_Why do I feel there is more in store for her than you are telling me? You know I hate secrets…"_

          "**It should be obvious, son of my blood, she is perfect. A wondrous body, a weapon, something you desire…and no soul, by her own admission. I tire of living in your body… and this one…could be enjoyable for us both."**

**          Sephiroth looked down once more at Kiv, taking in every curve, every exotic feature, and smiled. "_Oh yes mother, quite pleasurable." Then he walked silently back to his room._**

          In a deep, dark corner of his mind, Hio'La shivered at the cruel tone of voice… "Gods help us both Kiv"

*     *     *     *     *

          Kiv awoke to the gentle breeze of the Nexus…disturbing thoughts chased themselves around and around in her mind…her dreams had been, disturbing _I know that is not how things happened…she sat in confusion, trying to figure out her sudden dreams of blood…she flexed her hands in a small stretch and fell a wetness…her claws were covered in blood…_

*     *     *     *     *

And that does it for chapter four. Thank you, loyal readers, for bearing with me this long.


	5. Broken

Disclaimer: Don't own FF7 yadda yadda yadda…

**Broken**

Sephiroth sat gingerly on the bed…the furrows in his chest bleeding…_I should be able to stop this…He started to search the pockets of his mended clothing…__I know it's in here…His hand snagged on a metal bracelet "Ah, here you are…" He rubbed the small healing materia possessively. He focused on the crystalline depths…seeking the power of the small stone…as he touched the very depths, it was as if he held a live electric wire. _

          Energy gripped him and held him paralyzed, wave after wave loomed in his mind's eye. There was darkness and implacable power in those waves…_If I let those touch me I shall be consumed. This is not healing energy! By sheer will alone, he tossed the stone from his grasp. _

It twinkled and winked merrily at him as it flew through the air. The materia's not-so-gentle arc took it well across the small bedroom, and right into Kiv's outstretched hand. Sephiroth reeled in shock…_I should have heard her come in!  He stared in dumbfounded shock as Kiv set the bracelet with it's rogue materia on the small dresser. Then she turned her liquid metal eyes in his direction and spoke "Did the bracelet anger you Hio'La?"_

*   *   *   *   *

His mind raced through several responses, all discarded in moments. _How do I explain this? She will think we are unbalanced…maybe dangerous. That is not the way to win her to our side…perhaps mother can help…He sent out a questing thought. __No, mother sleeps…In the dark recess of his mind, Hio'La stirred in answer to the question "Is the great Sephiroth puzzled by a mere woman?"_

_"Silence shadow, I must concentrate"_

"I know, I was going to offer my help. I wish no harm to come to her…"

"_Oh? And what would a weakling such as you suggest?"_

Hio'La sent a mental image of himself shrugging and walking away "The truth?"

*   *   *   *   * 

Kiv watched the man that stood in her room. His posture was…different. He had an air of arrogance about him that Hio'La had never displayed. The wind shifted, and she was certain. A stranger stood before her…_Is this truly him? Has he remembered his lost past? A sadness stirred in her breast. __Has his mind healed so quickly? Then a frown appeared on her face as another thought occurred to her __Is__ this but a shard of his shattered mind? _

*   *   *   *   *

Sephiroth snapped his attention back to Kiv, who was frowning at him "Yes, the bracelet, or more truthfully, the materia stone did anger me. It is my usual method for healing myself, and here it did not work."

"Healing?" She smelled blood and remembered her bloodied claws.

"Yes, I went to awake you, and you scratched me. I thought to heal myself so as not to disturb you…"

"Ah, I see." She briskly bandaged his chest and seated him on the bed. "There you are stranger. You shall heal in time. It is best not to try to manipulate energies here." She sat down cross legged on the floor before him scanned him from head to toe "Now that you are bandaged, shall you introduce yourself?"

*   *   *   *   *   

Sephiroth was ruthlessly fighting down the feelings that her hands on his bare skin aroused, so it took a moment for the question to siphon through. When it finally hit him, he gaped in shock. "How?"

"No bother how. Who are you?"

"I am…" he felt Hio'La laughing at him. In truth, the uncanny woman was starting to frighten him. He only knew one response to that.

Kiv rolled backwards, lithe and agile, as his fist shot forward. She then crouched some feet from the bed, a low growl in her throat. "I have offered you no harm stranger, yet you seek to strike me. I shall not ask again, WHO ARE YOU?"

Sephiroth ignored the burning pain of the scratches in his chest crouched opposite her. _Perhaps the best route is to scare her into submission… He felt his familiar, cold smile settle on his lips and cold green fire burned from his eyes. "I am beyond your comprehension child"_

She ruined the effect by laughing "That, I doubt"

Sephiroth was speechless; none had spoken to him like that in years! He stepped towards his clothes, this time drawing a slender knife from the pocket. "You are swiftly losing any value you may have to me. You court death by speaking to me in such a way."

She was still smiling, but her voice acquired an eldritch chill "Is that so? Let me tell you what I told Hio'La, No one can die here. And you do not know how to leave. Therefore you cannot kill me. I on the other hand, can rip you screaming and kicking from Hio'La's mind if I so desire. The only reason I do not do so now, is because YOU are a part of him that must fuse in order to be truly healed. But if you ever threaten me again, I will destroy you because I can only subsume the warrior below the healer for so long. Understood?"

Despite himself, Sephiroth was impressed. But she had challenged him…He shifted his weight and prepared attack, but his body fought his control. He moved in jerky, graceless movements. He felt Hio'La fighting his control…then out of the corner of his eye he saw a blur where Kiv had stood. 

He brought up his arm and the slender blade in his hand danced hypnotically. That didn't stop Kiv. Before he knew it, he felt the prick of her incredibly sharp claws at his throat. She leaned towards him, her eyes reflecting metallic tints, and whispered in his ear "You cannot defeat a true warrior unless you yourself are whole. Just as you are part of Hio'La, he is part of you. You are shattered, broken, powerful but useless. I offer you what I offer everyone who comes here…healing. I will help you heal your mind. Then perhaps we could resume this…spat." In one swift movement, she dropped him and exited the room, leaving him to think.

*   *   *   *   *

Kiv drew the blade out of her shoulder with a gasp, blood pooling in her hand…_What was I thinking? I haven't been so…violent since…She shook her head violently as if to clear her thoughts…__It must have been the dream…What is happening to me?..._

*   *   *   *   *

Sephiroth sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, his mind reviewing the events of the past few minutes. _She amazes me at every turn…He tried to contemplate her offer, tried to picture himself as whole…not needing…but the vision of her eyes, so near his as she whispered in his ear, the strength of her grip as she effortlessly held him captive… kept intruding. __Why can't I concentrate? She offers so much…what does she desire in turn? How did she know that I feel…broken? He stood up and walked to the door, his mind made up. _

He found her in the kitchen, clutching her shoulder. Blood leaked from between her fingers, yet she stared at him defiantly. "Yes stranger?"

"I…I accept your offer. My name is Sephiroth."

"Ah. Wise choice. I am called Kiv." She noticed him staring at her shoulder "Does my blood please you Sephiroth?"

"…no. If it was achieved through skill, not luck, I could be pleased" He reached out, almost as if to touch the wound.

Kiv smiled. "You are much more pleasant when you are reasonable. Will you aid me in bandaging your lucky shot?"

A small, natural, warm smile tugged at his lips. _Even now she shows no evidence of weakness…"Yes, it is the least I can do." He followed her into the living room/workroom, and his last thought, before she handed him the implements necessary to bind the wound, was __I hope mother doesn't find out…_

*   *   *   *   *

Sorry for the delay folks. Hope you enjoyed.


	6. Oaths and Bindings

Disclaimer: I never will own FF7. it's a sad, sad fact. But true it is…

**Oaths and Bindings**

          Kiv gingerly rotated her shoulder, testing the bandage that Sephiroth had set in place. It barely moved. "Very well done. My gratitude."

          "It's not the first time I've ever needed to bandage someone."

          "That was obvious. Now if you will excuse me…"

          "Where are you going?"

          "This batch of herbs is nearly done drying, which means I need to harvest the next batch…This is a place of healing. I know the minute I fall behind on gathering supplies, some world will have a war, and many heroes needing healing will find their way here. Rather than face that nightmare, I try to keep abreast of my supplies." She laced her shirt tight about her shoulder to better hold the bandage and swung a large basket, one handed, to her back. "There is food in the cupboards. I shall return presently." With that comment, she swung out the door and disappeared.

*   *   *   *   *

          Sephiroth idly played with the scraps of cloth left over from bandaging Kiv. Then with a sigh, he cleaned the table. Then he felt the dark tide that was his mother rising in his mind. "Good morning Mother. Sleep well?"

          "**What have I missed? The air smells of blood…"**

          "Nothing to worry yourself over…Kiv's body is quite resilient. She shall heal quickly."

          "**You damaged her?"**

          Sephiroth's mind worked quickly, churning over ideas, and idea that his mother would accept. For some reason, he didn't want Jenovah to know the extent of Kiv's abilities…not yet. "She tried to…take my materia away from me. She claimed this was a place of peace. She tried to use her claws against me when I refused…I have never seen such a wild glint in a human's eye. I taught her a necessary lesson."

          "**Ah, then the dreams are working then? All is well." He felt the great, dark vortex as his mother once more submerged herself in his deep subconscious. Then he felt the other stir. **

          A dry chuckle breezed through his mind like a cool wind "Yes, quite a lesson you taught her"

          "Shut up Hio'La"

          "I find that speaking is one of the few things I can do from this dark corner…that and listening. She surprised you rather badly didn't she?"

          "Shut up, do you truly wish Mothe…Jenovah to find out?"

          "No"

          "I am going to find Kiv…to talk to her. To learn…we can't have Jenovah find out…"

          Sephiroth got the distinct mental image of Hio'La stepping from his dark corner, the bindings falling to ash around him. He carried himself with such a calm air that for a moment Sephiroth had to remind himself that Hio'La was weakness…his weaknesses. 

Hio'La strode forward into the light of his minds eye and drew forth a glistening sword of silver. He bowed slightly to Sephiroth and went to stand guard at the edge of the abyss his mother had sunken into. "For Kiv" he said as he turned his back to better watch the abyss. 

*   *   *   *   *

          Kiv ignored the sting of sweat in her knife wound as she gently loosened leaves and berries from their parent plant. Her basket was half full when she sat to rest. The silver ribbons of light in the sky swirled in a hypnotic pattern, the breeze whistled softly through the tall grass. The scene was missing only one thing…life. No insects buzzed among the blossoms, no small animals scurried in the underbrush. Animals preferred a place where time continued in its endless cycles. They knew that the Nexus was no place to live…only a place to recuperate. Kiv envied them.

          Since her mother had chosen to die, it had been…silent. Sometime the only things keeping her…sane…were her endless tasks and her sword practicing. And know she knew she was losing the battle. "I have struck a patient…I have dreamed of blood" she whispered to the wind. She felt the scintillating, ancient energies of the Nexus reach up to offer comfort, forgiving her. But still she was chilled to the bone. 

"I have been insane once, I will not be again. I will die first." Her words echoed eerily through the heart of Nexus itself, several voices taking up the echo until it thundered in time with the aurora's pulsing. Then the words changed and echoed back at her "So the Guardian has chosen. Will insanity truly be a greater threat than leaving the Nexus without a guardian?"

"I slaughtered hundreds and licked their still warm blood from the wounds I had made. I would much rather let the Nexus blooms creep over my body, than become a despot that cannot die."

The wind played with her word once more, and the myriad voices answered her…as they had since she had become guardian. "Well chosen Guardian. A new guardian can be found…it is much harder to stop a monster with our power. Well chosen." The wind died down, the words stopped their echoing rumble, and Kiv felt at peace for the first time since she had awoken.

*   *   *   *   *

          Sephiroth froze as voices boomed out of the very land and air themselves "The Guardian has chosen death over insanity, so be it." The wind sang in so many voices he couldn't count them all, but one voice…one song…he knew. The voice was clear and young…and yet a voice of power. He let out his breathe in a sigh "Aeris…"

As he said her name, the wind died. The voices stopped…and the import of what he had heard sunk in. There was as silver flash, and he was facing Hio'La's sword point, the mists of his mind swirling about them. No emotion showed on the weakling's face, no concern for the blade he held to Sephiroth's throat. "What did you and that bitch you call mother do to her, that she should swear so? She has shown us nothing but concern and kindness…"

Sephiroth stared into Hio'La's emerald eyes and saw nothing but honor blazing in their depths. An honor he himself had forgotten…_I used to live for my honor…when did that change? When did I give my honor away to this man before me?... "We gave her dreams…" he fell to his knees, prepared to die, tears streaming down his face "When I am dead…ask her to forgive me" He closed his eyes._

*   *   *   *   *

The blood loss and stress finally took their toll…Kiv slept in the sweet grass and dreamed…

She was sitting in the locker room after the fourth harsh round of bidding. It had been days since her "birth" …she had not eaten, had not slept…had not spoken, although she was sure she could. She waited, patiently, staring at the tiles as she heard the voices in the next room. The door opened and she paid it no heed. She was not protecting anyone, so the door opening was not a threat. Then she felt gentle fingers under her chin.

"Nineteen?"

She looked up, it was her technician…she smiled.

"Listen carefully…you are special. I made you myself, from the gene sequence up. I bypassed so many programming protocols to give you an education. You are yourself, no matter what they make you do…never forget that. I gave you my family's sword techniques. You are the daughter I can't have, guard well." He leaned forward to kiss her gently on the forehead. "Remember"  

Then the dream twisted. She smiled. And whispered back "Your daughter would have a soul." She slid her arms around his neck and simply gripped. He looked at her, tears leaked from his eyes as blood flowed from his throat. "…love you…lov…"

She giggled "Sleep well father" she walked to the sink in the locker room and cleaned herself meticulously. Mustn't look bad for the buyers…

She awoke, curled up on her bad shoulder, blood seeping through the crisp bandage. She couldn't help it…she screamed. She felt something within herself break…a great floodgate opened and she sobbed, brokenly as she felt herself slipping. Then a voice whispered to her, it was a young voice…high and female, yet full of the old power "Hold on…not yet…"

In the torrent of her mind, she found a ledge, sunk her claws in and held. She felt parts of her slip away, wash away in the flood. She mourned them, but she could find them as long as _she survived._

She stood and gathered the basket. "There is still a bit to do before I can follow my promise."

*   *   *   *   *

Sephiroth looked up in surprise as he heard a clang. Hio'La had dropped the sword and looked at him. Then enfolded him in a comforting embrace as Hio'La whispered "I cannot kill you, for you are me…we are one…or will be."

Sephiroth curled in the sheltering arms and simply accepted. "You are also our compassion aren't you?"

"Yes"

*    *   *    *    *   

Deep, deep down in the dark depths of her progeny's mind, she felt a disturbance. Something was not right, the plans were changing. She awoke.

*   *   *   *   *

That's it for chapter 6!!!!


	7. Echoes of the Past

Disclaimer: Insert any you so choose, I am tired of writing them for the moment…

**Echoes of the Past**

          Kiv strode briskly through the sparse trees that surrounded her home, no calmer than when she had awoke…she felt her precarious grip on sanity slowly, ever so slowly, melting away like soft mud.  A slow tear trickled out of her eye, and she gripped the basket more forcefully. "It has been a long time here…alone. I understand what mother meant when she said age means nothing…one dies when one is ready…soon I will be…" She rounded the last curve in the path home and saw Sephiroth, on his knees and crying silently. 

          She halted one shadow among many, unwilling to intrude upon healing. "He heals quicker than I thought he would…my final peace may come sooner than I thought." She slowly followed the line of the trees until she could circle around her current, and last, patient. 

          Inside, she worked, silent and sure, stringing pungent herbs to dry, boiling others down for elixirs…all the while phantom images and twisted memories eroded her ledge even more.

*   *   *   *   *

          He sat, safe and warm…embraced by something so profound he couldn't speak. Then the other…Hio'La…spoke. "We have made the beginning…but…I am your creation…your outcast weaknesses. I can only return to you if you desire me to…"

          He looked up into a face so like his own, trailed shaking fingers down the pale cheeks and tangled them in the masses of silver hair that tangled now with his own. "How could I ever accept…"

          Gentle hands stilled his lips "I am you, I am Sephiroth called Hio'La, accepting me is simply accepting yourself."

          "You make it sound so incredibly simple. Simply accept the monster I am and was…accept everything I did…and in so doing drag the last uncorrupted part of myself into the quagmire that is my soul!"

          "The depths are stirring…she awakens. I suggest you speak to one who has suffered as you have while I pretend to be cowed and chained." Hio'La laid a caressing kiss upon his brow and faded back into the shadowed corner that had until recently been his prison.

          Sephiroth opened his outer eyes upon the world that Kiv called Nexus, the light had not changed since he had closed them…then again, he wasn't all that sure that the light ever changed here. He stood and wandered towards the trees, intent on being alone when his mother fully surfaced.

*   *   *   *   *

          She rose from the darkest depths of her son's mind like the dark goddess she had once been.  Her ivory skin was cloaked in the residue of her son's darkest thoughts, his darkest whim. It was…awe inspiring. It sent shivers through Sephiroth as he fought the urge to smile like a sycophant. She strode forward, graceful and baleful as a solar eclipse.

          How easy it would be to forget Hio'La…to forget everything but what this, his mother, his birthright represented…

*   *   *   *   *

          She smiled to see the effect she had, it was after all, for his benefit alone. He was her crowning triumph…his perfection, his grace, his…bloodlust. It had been so easy to twist the idiot scientist into believing Sephiroth was _his creation…so deliciously easy. So easy to call him to her, to help him free her…and now this… She sensed his control, his restraint. "That beautiful child must be distracting you if you feel the need to so control yourself even in my presence…am I no longer welcome?"_

          He shook himself slightly as if coming out of a trance "Of course you are welcome mother, it is as you say…Kiv…is distracting, and not so much a girl…"

          "Ah, then even more reason to hasten our plans…" she purred, drawing her black tinted nails down his chest… "Not too much longer until all this is no longer in your head…"

          He shivered, in anticipation or dread he did not know.

*   *   *   *   *

          Kiv blinked as she realized that she no longer had any work to do…the basket was empty, for the first time in a long time her potion stock was full…her wound ached, her eyes felt gummy…but something was nagging at her. Much time had passed, and yet…her patient. Sephiroth had not returned, and that did not bode well.

          She stretched her aching back and glanced outside. The fourth ribbon had advanced across a quarter of the void. "More time than I thought…time to retrieve the errant man."

          He was not where she had last seen him, but he was no woods man, and definitely not at his best. He left a trail a babe could follow. And she found him, leaning against a tree and breathing heavily. She would have advanced to aid him, but she caught the scent of a dark, permeating presence…besides, he seemed to be enjoying himself. She wrinkled her nose in distaste and walked back to her home. 

          Around back was the arena her mother had built for her, simple wooden walls reaching a height of eight feet, simple sand under foot. Vines and small flowers climbed the fence and made it seem almost natural, peaceful…Kiv ignored this and advanced straight to the rear wall. There was a silver-wood cupboard, a gift from a grateful patient. Inside were her two swords…four feet of shining blued steel, slim and well balanced with silver hilts. 

Resolutely she closed the cupboard doors on the six foot blade it still held. Soon the only sound beyond the wind was that of her even panting and low chanting. This was her "birth" right…her peace…one of the few left to her. Here the phantoms did not intrude…here in the shining moving barrier of steel, she simply existed.

*   *   *   *   *

          Sephiroth blinked and sagged against the tree…he thought he had seen…a slim silver shadow among the trees. It had left so quickly…had seemed so familiar…he fought the fog around his mind and withdrew a name that was not a name…Kiv. A healer…a target…prey. "No…that isn't right…she is a…guardian! Guardian of the Nexus!"

          "Yes, she is the guardian here…guardian of us, our home, and our power…" Figures stood among the trees, old, young, in between. They all looked to be of different races, and yet something shone through them…something that labeled them as the same race. Then one stepped forward. The last time he had seen her was when his own blade had ended her life…the last of her kind, of the ancients…Aeris. "This place is our resting place, our gateway to the other worlds we visited…the ground, the sky, the trees and even the herbs are infused with our being, our wills, our spirits. This is a source of undiluted MAKO you might say. We allow no death here in our peace, we harm none…but we warn you now…we grant the guardians the power of the Nexus, which is beyond your imagining."

          "Is this a threat Aeris?"

          She smiled, her annoying, ingratiating smile "No, we would not harm a hair on your head, or a being in your head. That is why we chose the current guardian…she can be aggressive where we, and her predecessors could not. Do you not believe us? We can show you…" 

The beings parted, forming an opalescent tunnel that lead to the house, and around it. There was a walled enclosure that opened to reveal Kiv…dancing. Only after a moment of scrutiny could one discern she wielded blades…they moved to quickly for a normal to see. It was so controlled…so precise…he started to believe the ancients. Then he started to remember. Hio'La, Kiv…healing…what he almost lost in darkness again.

He felt Hio'La stir and pipe in with acerbic humor "It took a bunch of ghosts to remind you of me? My, perhaps we are not as far along as I thought…"

"Shut up Hio'La" The words dropped into the silence of spinning blades and grace, causing Kiv to freeze, like some wild animal spotting a hunter…or perhaps spotting prey. Her eyes were unfocused, her expression blissful…and then she blinked, and he swore, for just a moment that he saw raw wounds, sadness, and madness akin to his own. Then her mask was in place and swords were sheathed, the moment broke into a thousand shards and disappeared.

*   *   *   *   *

Words drifted to her…she couldn't make them out…she slowed, then stopped dead center as she realized Sephiroth was witnessing her sanctuary. She sheathed her swords and stood before him. "I see you found your way back, did you…" Her words trailed off and she cocked her head to the side, then in a blur of movement, she was past him, calling over her shoulder, almost as an afterthought "Someone is here…"

*   *   *   *   *

And again, thank you kindly for waiting for my updates. Sorry if the last chapter was a let down…


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